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MaryAnn (14 KP) rated The Wonder Years: 40 Women Over 40 on Aging, Faith, Beauty, and Strength in Books
Mar 5, 2019
It seems that when women reach a certain age in their life, they start to feel like their value is decreasing; they are facing the empty nest, (the children are leaving home), they tend to feel like they are limited in what they can do, and there is the fear of aging.
Well, it's time to start looking at life after 40 in a different light! In this book, well-known Christian women from ages 40 to 85 give their wisdom on how to face these worries. With Spiritual wisdom, a sense of humor, these women give some incredible insight into life after 40.
You will read the writings of Lauren F. Winner, Joni Eareckson Tada, Elisa Morgan, Madeleine Engle and kay Warren.
These women will provide ideas and thoughts about aging and to look at aging with your eyes open to new possibilities and most of all to grow closer to God. Each essay provides a look into God's perspective on the later years of life, reminding us that it's always possible to serve Him with the life experiences we have.
The book is comprised of short essays, that makes it quick to read, you can put it down and pick it back up at without interruption of the book.
It was interesting and it made me chuckle a couple of times. This is a good book for those who are in the 40 and over age, or those who are approaching it. It might even be a good book to do in a group setting with women of this age group.
Well, it's time to start looking at life after 40 in a different light! In this book, well-known Christian women from ages 40 to 85 give their wisdom on how to face these worries. With Spiritual wisdom, a sense of humor, these women give some incredible insight into life after 40.
You will read the writings of Lauren F. Winner, Joni Eareckson Tada, Elisa Morgan, Madeleine Engle and kay Warren.
These women will provide ideas and thoughts about aging and to look at aging with your eyes open to new possibilities and most of all to grow closer to God. Each essay provides a look into God's perspective on the later years of life, reminding us that it's always possible to serve Him with the life experiences we have.
The book is comprised of short essays, that makes it quick to read, you can put it down and pick it back up at without interruption of the book.
It was interesting and it made me chuckle a couple of times. This is a good book for those who are in the 40 and over age, or those who are approaching it. It might even be a good book to do in a group setting with women of this age group.
XX is actually an anthology of 4 short films, all of which were directed by women.
Overall, the film is superbly directed and the acting is top notch too (the ever wonderful Melanie Lynskey delivers an outstanding performance in particular), but a couple of little niggles slightly lower my overall score.
First film, ‘The Box,’ is the best of them all - creepy and mysterious throughout, with all the elements needed for a thorough horror experience.
Next up is ‘The Birthday Party’ in which, as previously stated, Melanie Lynskey gives an amazing performance. I wouldn’t class this as a horror, more of a very dark comedy, but it’s still a superb piece of work.
‘Don’t Fall’ is where things begin to wane a little - it’s still a really good piece of work, just a little too short to make much of an impact.
Finally, ‘Her Only Living Son’ just doesn’t quite match the quality of the first three films. The storyline is good, but does get a bit confusing, and the acting is great too, but something just doesn’t sit right and I felt disappointed with this one.
Between each short film are sections which make up another little tale, but I found these a bit pointless and just seemed to pad out the overall running time.
All in all, XX is definitely worth a watch, it’s certainly had a lot of thought and effort go into the making of it, and I’d like to see more work by the very talented directors involved here.
Overall, the film is superbly directed and the acting is top notch too (the ever wonderful Melanie Lynskey delivers an outstanding performance in particular), but a couple of little niggles slightly lower my overall score.
First film, ‘The Box,’ is the best of them all - creepy and mysterious throughout, with all the elements needed for a thorough horror experience.
Next up is ‘The Birthday Party’ in which, as previously stated, Melanie Lynskey gives an amazing performance. I wouldn’t class this as a horror, more of a very dark comedy, but it’s still a superb piece of work.
‘Don’t Fall’ is where things begin to wane a little - it’s still a really good piece of work, just a little too short to make much of an impact.
Finally, ‘Her Only Living Son’ just doesn’t quite match the quality of the first three films. The storyline is good, but does get a bit confusing, and the acting is great too, but something just doesn’t sit right and I felt disappointed with this one.
Between each short film are sections which make up another little tale, but I found these a bit pointless and just seemed to pad out the overall running time.
All in all, XX is definitely worth a watch, it’s certainly had a lot of thought and effort go into the making of it, and I’d like to see more work by the very talented directors involved here.
Sam (74 KP) rated The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) in Books
Mar 27, 2019
I had watched the Unfortunate Events film, and now I’m addicted to the Netflix series. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve rewatched the series, so I had been wanting to start reading the series for ages. It’s another one of those books that I haven’t gotten around to reading because I always found something I wanted to read more.
I’m glad I finally got The Bad Beginning though. It’s hilarious and some of the best children’s fiction I’ve read in ages. I’ve got a feeling I read it once when I was younger but I was never that into it. I definitely feel that some of the jokes are aimed more towards the readers my sort of age than kids, which is what makes it even better.
I absolutely love Justice Strauss and her library – it reminds me of something straight out of a fairytale.
The Bad Beginning is a hilarious start to the Unfortunate Events series and I can’t wait for my book ban to be over so I can buy the rest of the series and read them all over the stretch of a few weeks. They make the perfect quick read (I read this one in a couple of days around working, picking it up whenever I got a little bit of spare time).
Season two of Unfortunate Events comes out on Netflix in March, and it can’t come soon enough. Neil Patrick Harris makes the perfect Count Olaf and when I was reading this all I heard was his voice.
I’m glad I finally got The Bad Beginning though. It’s hilarious and some of the best children’s fiction I’ve read in ages. I’ve got a feeling I read it once when I was younger but I was never that into it. I definitely feel that some of the jokes are aimed more towards the readers my sort of age than kids, which is what makes it even better.
I absolutely love Justice Strauss and her library – it reminds me of something straight out of a fairytale.
The Bad Beginning is a hilarious start to the Unfortunate Events series and I can’t wait for my book ban to be over so I can buy the rest of the series and read them all over the stretch of a few weeks. They make the perfect quick read (I read this one in a couple of days around working, picking it up whenever I got a little bit of spare time).
Season two of Unfortunate Events comes out on Netflix in March, and it can’t come soon enough. Neil Patrick Harris makes the perfect Count Olaf and when I was reading this all I heard was his voice.
Sam (74 KP) rated The Slippery Slope (A Series of Unfortunate Events #10) in Books
Mar 27, 2019
The Klaus and Violet Baudelaire are running out of time. They’re rolling down a slope, soon to crash, while Olaf and his troupe take Sunny somewhere unknown. Using Klaus’s bookishness and Violets inventiveness, they save themselves from disaster yet again, but now must save their sister and find out more about the mysterious VFD.
This one was really suspenseful. There was always something fast-paced happening, meaning that yet again within a couple of hours it had been read!
Finally, some of the mysteries surrounding the Baudelaires are being unravelled in this one, which I’m grateful has finally happened. Since there’s thirteen books in the whole series, I expected it to be soon but was still glad that some of my questions were answered.
This one isn’t as comedic as a lot of the ones that came before it. I feel like as the mysteries unfold, the novels are going to get less comedic and more serious. It’s a nice change from the usual plot and structure, and it still left enough little bits of comedy in it to keep it entertaining.
I love some of the characters who are revealed in this one (not saying who because spoilers), and found them much needed.
Olaf is becoming more and more sinister and less comedic which makes the plot brilliant. To be able to see the shift in his behaviour and see his desperation build up as I make it to the finale is making me run for the next book.
This one was really suspenseful. There was always something fast-paced happening, meaning that yet again within a couple of hours it had been read!
Finally, some of the mysteries surrounding the Baudelaires are being unravelled in this one, which I’m grateful has finally happened. Since there’s thirteen books in the whole series, I expected it to be soon but was still glad that some of my questions were answered.
This one isn’t as comedic as a lot of the ones that came before it. I feel like as the mysteries unfold, the novels are going to get less comedic and more serious. It’s a nice change from the usual plot and structure, and it still left enough little bits of comedy in it to keep it entertaining.
I love some of the characters who are revealed in this one (not saying who because spoilers), and found them much needed.
Olaf is becoming more and more sinister and less comedic which makes the plot brilliant. To be able to see the shift in his behaviour and see his desperation build up as I make it to the finale is making me run for the next book.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Suburban Micro-Farm: Modern Solutions for Busy People in Books
Apr 2, 2019
This book is stuffed full of useful information! It focuses on growing food in your yard when you don't have much time to spend on the yard, so there's a lot of permaculture techniques and gardens that are largely hands-off once you get them set up, which is exactly what I want. With the chronic fatigue, I often don't have the energy to get outside and work on a garden, and Maryland summers exhaust me simply by stepping outside. I really want to garden and grow food, but I need easy ways to do that.
The Suburban Micro-Farm delved into planting hedgerows, which is something we've been thinking of, rain gardens (which we probably should do, we have a couple places in the yard that do not drain well), and tree guilds, which are plantings that go under trees to work together in little micro-environments. One of the tree guilds Stross specifically talks about is a Black Walnut tree guild, which I was excited to see because we have a huge, beautiful mature Black Walnut that I've been trying to figure out how to plant around. Black Walnuts produce juglone, a chemical that kills a lot of plants, so you have to be very mindful of what you plant near them.
This is an excellent reference book for suburban gardens, and she has lots of extra resources on her site, The Tenth Acre Farm. I will be exploring those as well!
You can read all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
The Suburban Micro-Farm delved into planting hedgerows, which is something we've been thinking of, rain gardens (which we probably should do, we have a couple places in the yard that do not drain well), and tree guilds, which are plantings that go under trees to work together in little micro-environments. One of the tree guilds Stross specifically talks about is a Black Walnut tree guild, which I was excited to see because we have a huge, beautiful mature Black Walnut that I've been trying to figure out how to plant around. Black Walnuts produce juglone, a chemical that kills a lot of plants, so you have to be very mindful of what you plant near them.
This is an excellent reference book for suburban gardens, and she has lots of extra resources on her site, The Tenth Acre Farm. I will be exploring those as well!
You can read all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Merissa (11953 KP) rated Forged Contracts (Tribal Spirits #3) in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Forged Contracts (Tribal Spirits #3) by Katherine McIntyre
Forged Contracts is the third book in the Tribal Spirits series, and I would definitely recommend you read this as a series, rather than a set of standalones.
After reading the second book, I was invested in knowing more about Raven, and I found out! Her and Jer have watched each other from afar for way too long, but now it seems their time is on hand. The pack also faces a threat from the Coalition, whilst Raven faces a threat from her past. It's not all plain sailing for Jer either, as he is off his meds for his bipolar, and is struggling.
There is plenty of action in this book, and a couple of steamy times for Raven and Jer, but they add to the storyline, rather than detract it. It was brilliant to see how these two damaged people helped to heal each other, rather than cause more injury.
There were no editing or grammatical errors that I noticed, and the world and characters continue to grow. Although we didn't hear from Finn and Navi, we do get an update from Sierra and Dax (obviously, considering they are heading the pack!). Thoroughly enjoyed every word, and I have no hesitation in recommending this book.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
After reading the second book, I was invested in knowing more about Raven, and I found out! Her and Jer have watched each other from afar for way too long, but now it seems their time is on hand. The pack also faces a threat from the Coalition, whilst Raven faces a threat from her past. It's not all plain sailing for Jer either, as he is off his meds for his bipolar, and is struggling.
There is plenty of action in this book, and a couple of steamy times for Raven and Jer, but they add to the storyline, rather than detract it. It was brilliant to see how these two damaged people helped to heal each other, rather than cause more injury.
There were no editing or grammatical errors that I noticed, and the world and characters continue to grow. Although we didn't hear from Finn and Navi, we do get an update from Sierra and Dax (obviously, considering they are heading the pack!). Thoroughly enjoyed every word, and I have no hesitation in recommending this book.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Good Samaritan in Books
Apr 23, 2019
Not what I expected
I've read a couple of John Marrs' books now and enjoyed them, so I was looking forward to trying this one out as it has an intriguing premise. However it didnt turn out quite how I expected, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.
The plot centres around Laura, a suicide helpline worker who finds victims to encourage and help plan their deaths. Laura is a nasty piece of work. It's been a long time since I've read a book with a protagonist that I've detested as much as Laura. She's horrible but in a good way, as you spend most of the book willing her to fail and get her comeuppance. The writing is very good and the other characters in this are also well developed. It's a gripping read and despite being fairly long, i struggled to put this one down.
The problem i found with this though, which I'm still a little uncertain about, is that the story unfolds in a way that I hadn't expected. Around a third of the way in, it switches courses and changes into something that although it isn't bad, it just wasn't expected. And the ending too is a little frustrating and not as satisfying as I would have liked. However if you want to read a book with a truly detestable main character that makes you want to scream (kind of in a good way), then this is definitely worth a read.
The plot centres around Laura, a suicide helpline worker who finds victims to encourage and help plan their deaths. Laura is a nasty piece of work. It's been a long time since I've read a book with a protagonist that I've detested as much as Laura. She's horrible but in a good way, as you spend most of the book willing her to fail and get her comeuppance. The writing is very good and the other characters in this are also well developed. It's a gripping read and despite being fairly long, i struggled to put this one down.
The problem i found with this though, which I'm still a little uncertain about, is that the story unfolds in a way that I hadn't expected. Around a third of the way in, it switches courses and changes into something that although it isn't bad, it just wasn't expected. And the ending too is a little frustrating and not as satisfying as I would have liked. However if you want to read a book with a truly detestable main character that makes you want to scream (kind of in a good way), then this is definitely worth a read.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated A Deadly Feast in Books
May 13, 2019
Thanksgiving Wedding Bells
Hayley Snow’s wedding is just a few days away, and her list of things to do is long, as you’d expect. She’s got family coming in from out of town, Thanksgiving the day before, and contractors to get working on the houseboat she wants to move into soon after she gets married. So the last thing she needs to do is find herself embroiled in a mystery. But when a woman on a seafood tour Hayley is covering for work drops dead, Hayley is asked by the friend who owns the company to find out what happened. Can Hayley squeeze that into her busy week?
As you can see, there is plenty happening here, and I found the pages turning quickly. Unfortunately, I felt the mystery suffered as a result. It was often buried in everything else going on, and the resolution was rushed as a result. But I do love these characters, and getting to spend time with them is wonderful as always. I enjoyed getting to see a different side of a couple and have others return. Thanks to these books, I’ve fallen in love with Key West, so it was fantastic to get to visit again. It was a much-needed mini vacation. There are nine new recipes for us to try; personally, I’m most intrigued by the pumpkin pie recipe. While newcomers to the series won’t be as charmed with this outing, longtime fans will be happy to visit Hayley again here.
As you can see, there is plenty happening here, and I found the pages turning quickly. Unfortunately, I felt the mystery suffered as a result. It was often buried in everything else going on, and the resolution was rushed as a result. But I do love these characters, and getting to spend time with them is wonderful as always. I enjoyed getting to see a different side of a couple and have others return. Thanks to these books, I’ve fallen in love with Key West, so it was fantastic to get to visit again. It was a much-needed mini vacation. There are nine new recipes for us to try; personally, I’m most intrigued by the pumpkin pie recipe. While newcomers to the series won’t be as charmed with this outing, longtime fans will be happy to visit Hayley again here.
Fred (860 KP) rated The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975) in Movies
May 27, 2019
This is a comedy?
Okay, let me start by saying I love Neil Simon movies.The Odd Couple ranks up there in my top 10. I love the Out-of-Towners, love Murder By Death, the Sunshine Boys & many of his other films. In fact, I can say I liked every one of his movies I have ever seen. This being said, I went into watching Prisoner thinking it would be a laugh-out-loud comedy. Instead, the movie borders on full-blown drama. Sure, there are quick one-liners thrown out from Jack Lemmon towards Anne Bancroft, but these seem more like insults than zingers. Throughout the film, every line I knew was supposed to be funny made me crack a smile, but there are no burst out laughing jokes.
I guess we're supposed to feel sorry for Mel Edison & his wife. But, instead I find him to over-react at every little thing. He's a weak little man who probably deserves a lot more than he got. You feel more sorry for his wife for having to put up with him. Then later on, when the roles are reversed, you could care less about either character. The funniest parts of the movie have to do with the radio announcements made throughout the film. But 5 or 6 of these cannot hold this film together as a comedy.
It's not a bad film, & it was somewhat enjoyable to watch. The acting by Lemmon & Bancroft is top notch. But it's just not funny enough.
I guess we're supposed to feel sorry for Mel Edison & his wife. But, instead I find him to over-react at every little thing. He's a weak little man who probably deserves a lot more than he got. You feel more sorry for his wife for having to put up with him. Then later on, when the roles are reversed, you could care less about either character. The funniest parts of the movie have to do with the radio announcements made throughout the film. But 5 or 6 of these cannot hold this film together as a comedy.
It's not a bad film, & it was somewhat enjoyable to watch. The acting by Lemmon & Bancroft is top notch. But it's just not funny enough.
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Right Behind You in Books
Jun 5, 2019
In Lisa Gardner’s next thriller following her runaway New York Times bestseller Find Her — Right Behind You sees the return of (now retired) FBI Profiler Pierce Quincy and his wife Rainie Conner who have now adopted Sharlah. Several years ago her older brother Telly Ray Nash killed their drunken father to protect them.
But when it appears that Telly has killed again, this time it can’t be for her protection, can it? Especially as it is later discovered he’s also killed his foster parents.
This story is a lot slower than other Lisa Gardner books. I still enjoyed it, but as the story unravelled I found myself more drawn to the relationships of families involved – the abuse that went on – the secrets and lies. It’s like the author has gone from fast-paced FBI police procedural crime novel to a character driven story. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just not what I expected.
Rainie and Quincy still make a great couple, the writing style is enjoyable and easy to read. It may be light on the FBI profile and police procedural aspects, but
Right Behind You still made for a great read because the characters were so endearing, and quite often physically and emotionally vulnerable.
I’m interested to see what Lisa Gardner’s next book (comes out Feb. 19 2019) titled NEVER TELL, is going to be like. It apparently features Detective D.D. Warren joining forces with vigilante Flora Dane to investigate the murder of known associate of Flora’s infamous kidnapper.
But when it appears that Telly has killed again, this time it can’t be for her protection, can it? Especially as it is later discovered he’s also killed his foster parents.
This story is a lot slower than other Lisa Gardner books. I still enjoyed it, but as the story unravelled I found myself more drawn to the relationships of families involved – the abuse that went on – the secrets and lies. It’s like the author has gone from fast-paced FBI police procedural crime novel to a character driven story. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just not what I expected.
Rainie and Quincy still make a great couple, the writing style is enjoyable and easy to read. It may be light on the FBI profile and police procedural aspects, but
Right Behind You still made for a great read because the characters were so endearing, and quite often physically and emotionally vulnerable.
I’m interested to see what Lisa Gardner’s next book (comes out Feb. 19 2019) titled NEVER TELL, is going to be like. It apparently features Detective D.D. Warren joining forces with vigilante Flora Dane to investigate the murder of known associate of Flora’s infamous kidnapper.